Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman 22 January 2020 presented the priorities of the Croatian Presidency to the European Parliament’s Committee on Development (DEVE).
Grlić Radman informed MEPs about the guidelines in the area of development and humanitarian policy during Croatia’s six-month Council of the EU presidency.
He underlined that Croatia would continue to support discussions on humanitarian needs and responses to the world’s largest humanitarian crises such as those in Yemen, Syria and the Sahel, as well as those “forgotten”.
Europe’s immediate neighbourhood also demands attention, including the humanitarian situation in the Western Balkans, notably Bosnia and Herzegovina. In that regard, the EU-Western Balkans partnership is crucial for dealing with the issue of illegal migration.
Grlić Radman said Croatia greatly appreciated the initiative to help Albania, which was hit last year by a series of major earthquakes. “We are glad that the EU was quick to respond by organizing a donor conference scheduled for 17 February in Brussels,” the minister remarked.